From DMC owners to event planning extraordinaires, Global DMC Partners is highlighting inspiring female industry leaders from across the world to celebrate International Women's Day all throughout the month of March. The meeting and event industry is filled with so many hard-working, resourceful, and passionate women who give their all to make sure they inspire their clients everyday and that every attendee has an exceptional experience.

This week we're highlighting some of the female meeting professionals on our Customer Advisory Board! Read on to learn more about what they think women bring to this industry, what they want to see for the future for women in meetings & events, and who has inspired them along the way.

Lynette Donahue | Director, Event Management, Event Travel Management

Q: What drove you into the meeting industry and/or your particular role? 

LD: Throughout my various roles in the corporate world, I’ve always been drawn to planning events. In the beginning of my career this role was introduced to me as one of many ‘duties as assigned’ I was tasked with carrying out.  However, as I developed as a professional, I was able to move into positions that involved more and more work related specifically to event planning. Eventually, I worked hard enough to earn the role of Corporate Events Manager, which quickly became the career of my dreams.

Q: What do you think women bring to the meetings industry?

LD: Multi-tasking and mentoring are huge benefits. How often have we seen cartoons depicting women being able to juggle countless items up in the air at one time? This same distinct multi-tasking characteristic in women is immensely valuable and necessary in this industry.  At any given minute we can have 7 things we are currently doing, while thinking forward about 26 more.

I recently read in an article by Andromachi Athanasupoulou describing two fundamental types of leadership: transformational and transactional. Women often adhere to the first type. We serve as role models placing emphasis on human relationships and a positive team environment, while supporting our coworkers’ self-development. This creates a fantastic mentoring environment within the event industry. Education is important in this industry but finding a fantastic mentor to walk one through the planning process and special touches not taught in school is vital. Oftentimes, it can make the difference between becoming a good planner or a great planner.

Q: What would you like to see for the future of women in our industry?

LD: I have watched our upper management team create an incredible environment for mentorship and would love to see similar workplace communities spread throughout the industry.  Growing up, I was always taught that it is our duty to assist those coming up in our chosen profession, to guide and mentor those with those less experience. Our management team follows this approach to the letter, and has created an amazing knowledgeable, friendly, and fun work environment I wish everyone could experience. 

The renewed attention to maintaining a healthy work/life balance everyone is talking about is another future goal I am still trying to cultivate within my own life and career. We can all benefit from learning to pay sufficient attention to our life outside work, which can only lead to us becoming better, balanced people.  Many of us in this industry are innately wired to be superhuman and take care of everybody and everything all of the time. In response to this mindset, we must also teach ourselves to remember to stop every once in a while and take time to make ourselves, and our families, better, more well-rounded people. I would love to see our industry help others embrace this ethos and help build a brighter future for personal well-being in event management. 

Q: Have there been female mentors or leaders that have inspired and/or guided you along your way?

LD: I have been incredibly lucky to have great mentors and leaders throughout my career. Doreen Kleindienst was a fabulous steward who guided my introduction to event management. She taught me how to turn ideas and plans into reality, how to identify approaches that would drive me toward success versus those that might lead me astray. As my career shifted from event planning as one aspect of my job into a full-time position, I was lucky to have my aunt Jean Swaffer to consult with and teach me more about all the work that goes into planning the perfect event. As I worked through my career I had many more mentors and leaders, but none equal to our team at ETM, led by Michelle Dayhoff and Teri Awwad. I have learned so much from them, from management style, to mentoring, to always improving and thinking beyond what has been done before.  I am in such a happy spot with these two amazing women leading and guiding the way in our industry.

Q: International Women’s Day theme for this year is “Balance for Better”. What does the hashtag #balanceforbetter mean to you?

LD: #Balanceforbetter is a strong statement, which to me conveys complete gender and life balance. This is the time for us all to continue working to better our business communities and personal lives, to always back women and their successes.  The best balance is complete gender balance in the workplace. All of us have so much to contribute regardless of gender, and everyone who wants the industry to grow and succeed should be both heard and asked to be involved. No one will do this for us, we must do it for each other. We need to support each other in the industry, mentor each other, grab a buddy, a sounding board, anything that keeps you strong and determined. We need to check in with each other and ground ourselves in our priorities. If that type of energy can build on itself and gain momentum, it will bring our #balanceforbetter mission to life.

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Danene Dustin | Global Sales Executive, Morris Meetings & Incentives

Q: What drove you into the meeting industry and/or your particular role?

DD: I actually received my bachelor’s degree in Travel & Tourism from Brigham Young University as I have always loved traveling and thought I should study something I loved. From there I was a travel agent and I eventually worked as an Event Coordinator at Utah State University. My love of travel drove me to apply for my current role where I am actually in sales more than event coordination, yet I still enjoy creating programs for my clients and helping my team bring them to fruition.

Q: What do you think women bring to the meetings industry?

DD: Creativity, excellent organizational skills, ability to multi task successfully, though many would say that’s impossible to do, yet I have witnessed it firsthand.

Q: What would you like to see for the future of women in our industry?

DD: More support of each other. I think women overall can be petty and jealous of another woman’s success. I would love to see us all working together more cohesively and supporting, mentoring and just developing ways to genuinely be happy for each other’s successes, whether professional OR personal.

Q: Have there been female mentors or leaders that have inspired and/or guided you along your way?

DD: Catherine Chaulet is one that I continue to admire for her professionalism, yet warmth and acceptance. She is such an excellent role model to me on both the professional and personal sides. There are a few other women here in Salt Lake that aren’t necessarily in the same industry but from whom I have gleaned ideas for success as well as moral support.

Q: International Women’s Day theme for this year is “Balance for Better”. What does the hashtag #balanceforbetter mean to you?

DD: Does balance really exist? I have to say that my pet peeve these days is the fact that everyone is SO busy. It seems that no matter the person to whom I am speaking, s/he is just SO busy. I think we all need to realize that isn’t necessarily a badge of honor and that being busy can really turn people off as they don’t feel they can “infringe” on your precious time. It can also be perceived that a person isn’t organized or taking charge of his/her life. It all comes down to each one of us prioritizing and fitting things in that really mean the most. I bet if we gauged our time on social media etc, we’d realize we can be less busy and more productive than we are currently.

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Kim Hester | Senior Account Executive, JNR Incorporated

Q: What drove you into the meeting industry and/or your particular role?

KH: I knew I wanted to be in the travel industry by the time I was about 8 years old and never wavered.  I have an intense curiosity about geography, history, nature, adventure, food and most of all, what makes people tick in various cultures.  I started out in hotels and then morphed into the planner side of the business about 25 years ago.  I both sell and operate programs because I love designing memorable incentive programs that make people say “wow!”  And I can’t let someone else operate the programs I design because that would be akin to being pregnant and never having the baby.  I thoroughly enjoy the variety, the challenges and the level of detail that each day brings.  I have had extraordinary opportunities in my travels that most people can’t even imagine.  My reality has exceeded all my dreams so now I simply wake up every day and say, “how lucky am I?”  

Q: What do you think women bring to the meetings industry?

KH: Women are organized, detailed, resourceful and most importantly, highly empathetic.  That empathy allows us to do a great job of reading situations, understanding the difference between stated needs and real needs and solving problems quickly and efficiently.  

Q: What would you like to see for the future of women in our industry?

KH: Mentorship is everything!  I was fortunate enough to have a few great mentors in my career and they made a world of difference in my success.  There is no substitute for being in the trenches which creates the best learning experiences, but a mentor to guide you through the minefields is critical.  

Q: Have there been female mentors or leaders that have inspired and/or guided you along your way?

KH: Absolutely!  I started with Loews back in the 1970s and saw Charlotte St. Martin break into the executive ranks, which inspired me and made me believe I could go as far as I wanted with hard work.  Penny Wing – a well-known person in the incentive industry – taught me how to think creatively and design programs that would surprise and delight both the participants and the clients.  And many other women along the way proved to me that I could have it all – a family and a career – and be successful at both.  I just had to sacrifice a lot of sleep but now that I am an empty-nester I am finally catching up on that!     

Q: International Women’s Day theme for this year is “Balance for Better”. What does the hashtag #balanceforbetter mean to you? 

KH: We can have it all – even adequate sleep! But it does require hard work, a passion for the industry that drives you to get up every day excited about the challenges ahead, and a good support system certainly helps as well.  You just have to be organized, focused and be a sponge – learn from every person and circumstance, build your network and develop your resources.  Then the sky is the limit in terms of potential!     

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Brie Richards | Event Planner, Gartner

Q: What drove you into the meeting industry and/or your particular role?

BR: I originally became interested in event planning because my mom was in the industry when I was a child. She planned all the community events and retreats for our church back in Amarillo and would often take me onsite to them. I quickly fell in love with the excitement of the hustle and bustles of the event world. After I graduate from college, I began to explore deeper the various directions I could take this desire and was introduced to world of corporate events. I found the first opportunity I could to jump into the industry and have been blessed to have been given lots of opportunity to learn and grow within it.

Q: What do you think women bring to the meetings industry?

BR: I think women bring a sense of drive and determination to the industry. I love getting to see women step up in leadership roles and am inspired by their drive to make others around them better.

Q: What would you like to see for the future of women in our industry?

BR: I would love to see more mentorship for those who have been in the industry for many years to those who may be earlier in their careers. I think the industry has changed so much and continues to change and the ability for the more experienced planners to collaborate with younger women is a great opportunity to help develop the next generation of planners. I know I would love the opportunity to have a monthly or quarterly meeting to bounce my ideas off someone who has been in the industry, ask questions regarding their experiences, and develop that relationship that will bridge the gap between the two generations.

Q: Have there been female mentors or leaders that have inspired and/or guided you along your way?

BR: I have been positively impacted by a number of women in the industry. Early on, I decided to make it a practice to try and learn something from each person that I work with as I believe each person is unique and brings their own skills to the table. This mindset allows me to strive toward continuous growth and improvement.

One of my first managers did an amazing job at helping me understand the strategy behind event planning and how we can use it to accomplish client goals and company initiatives. This knowledge really allowed me to see the full picture and has been invaluable as I continue to take on new roles and positions in this industry.

Outside the industry, my mom has been probably the most developmental women in my life. She taught me how to work hard but also the importance of the relational side of every task. I think this has helped me to create strong work relationships with other women and establish a mindset of teamwork versus competition when I work with others.

Q: International Women’s Day theme for this year is “Balance for Better”. What does the hashtag #balanceforbetter mean to you?

BR: We are complex beings and need to strive to maintain our personal health by keeping balanced our physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual selves. Each of these pieces play an important role in making up who we are and when one of them gets overworked it hinders us from being the best that we can be. In my life, I have found that when I allow myself to focus on keeping each of elements of wellness in check, I am best able to experience life at its fullest.